The nuclear power industry long has been engaged in a multitude of studies and investigations seeking improvement in the stamina and reliability of the materials and components forming a reactor based power system. One such investigation has been concerned with intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) which heretofore principally has been manifested in the water recirculation piping systems external to the radiation intense reactor core regions of nuclear facilities. Typically, the piping architecture of these external systems is formed of a stainless steel material. Generally, these studies have determined that three factors must occur in coincidence to create IGSCC promotional conditions. These factors are: (a) a sensitization of the metal (stainless steel), for example, such as caused by a chromium depletion at grain boundaries which may be caused by heat treatment in the course of normal processing of the material or by welding and like procedures; (b) the presence of tensile stress in the material; and (c) the oxygenated normal water chemistry (NWC) environment typically present in a boiling water reactor (BWR). This latter environment is occasioned by any of a variety of oxidizing species contributed by impurities in reactor coolant water. By removing any one of these three factors, the IGSCC phenomenon is essentially obviated. Such removal particularly has been accomplished with respect to the latter, oxygenated environment factor through employment of an electrochemical potential monitoring approach combined with an associated hydrogen water chemistry (HWC) technique providing for a controlled addition or injection of hydrogen into the aqueous coolant environment.
Electrochemical potential monitoring is carried out employing paired electrochemical half-cell probes or electrodes which are mounted within the recirculation piping or in an external vessel which has its water source from the reactor water in the recirculation piping. The electrodes are accessed to the external environment through gland type mountings or the like. Where, as in the instant application, the electrode system of interest involves the potential from a metal corrosion electrode, then the reference electrode can conveniently be a metal-insoluble salt electrode, if the metal-salt couple is chemically stable and if appropriate thermodynamic data is available. Accordingly, one of the thus-mounted probes which is configured as a reference electrode may be based, for example, on a silver/silver chloride half-cell reaction. Once the reference electrode half-cell is defined, the cell is completed with the sensing cell portion based upon a metal such as platinum or stainless steel. Verification of the reference electrode and/or the electrode pair is carried out by thermodynamic evaluation and appropriate Nernst based electrochemical calculations in combination with laboratory testing within a known environment.
Half cell electrodes developed for use in reactor circulation piping traditionally have been configured with metal housings, high temperature ceramics, and polymeric seals such as Teflon brand polytetrafluoroethylene. These structures have performed adequately in the more benign and essentially radiation-free environments of recirculation piping.
Over the recent past, investigators have sought to expand the electrochemical potential (ECP) monitoring procedures to the severe environment of the fluid in the vicinity of the reactor core itself for the purpose of studying or quantifying the effect of hydrogen-water chemistry adjustment in mitigating irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASSC) as well as IGSCC. Within the reactor core, the monitoring electrode can be mounted, for example, with otherwise unemployed or in tandem with the traveling instrumentation probe (TIP) of available local power range monitors (LPRM) and the like. The monitors are located in a severe, high temperature (550.degree. F.), high radiation (typically 10.sup.9 R (rads) per hour gamma, 10.sup.13 R per hour neutron) water environments. Probe structures of earlier designs are completely inadequate for this reactor core environment, both from a material standpoint and with respect to the critical need to prevent leakage of radioactive materials to the environment outside of the reactor vessel. One probe, however, that has a robust structure adequate for use in the rigorous environment of the reactor core of a nuclear power facility is disclosed in commonly-assigned U.S. Ser. No. 07/345,740, filed May 1, 1989, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,492. A critical feature of such probe design is the alumina (sapphire) post and post cap which are located inside of the base. Because of space limitations, the manufacturing processes which are performed inside the base, such as metalizing and brazing, cannot be controlled to ensure a reproducible, high quality product. Inadequate metalizing and brazing at this interface often may not be detected until the electrode fails prematurely either during final testing or in service in a reactor.